


l'amour avide

by hanamurasaki



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 23:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10707759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanamurasaki/pseuds/hanamurasaki
Summary: If he was to kill somebody for the sake of his goal, that would've been fine. He would be able to continue, yet for some reason. There's more of a heartbreak when that person accepts him for everything he's done, forgives him — and even seduces him. To be told to kill that person makes him question what he didn't think about before. Yet it seems no matter what option Goro Akechi faces the emotions he considered love was a pitiful fate to be cursed by the gods.





	l'amour avide

The first time he meets him is in a studio, he was told in advance that Shujin Academy was having a field trip of sorts, but he didn’t expect the crowd to be so large. As he entered the set there was noise; it was annoying.

He was popular, which was good since he worked hard to get to this point, but some of the girls reactions were ridiculous. They thought they were stealthy, but he could see their phones. When he looked in their direction he flashed a smile, the girls looked away and presumably stopped what they were doing. There was no point in throwing a hissy fit about it, Akechi wasn’t a child, he’d just laugh it off. He had the reputation of the detective _prince_ to live up to, while being a detective was apart of it, so was being a prince.

He still had some time before the interview _maybe he should_ — The ringing stops those thoughts. With a grimace he looks down at his phone and quickly makes his way towards the exit. His father, the popular politician Masayoshi Shido, was calling him. Everytime the phone rang he wondered what sort of job would it be this time. Maybe a celebrity? A politician? He knows it’s bad but he can’t help it. He doesn’t really care about the victims. As long as it makes the revenge against Shido better. He’ll do any sort of dirty job; after all no matter how dirty his hands get he’s always wearing gloves.

The phone call is short, Shido praised him. His work with the subway incident pleased the client, and now he had to deal with another competitor against Okumura. Akechi unintentionally finds himself rolling his eyes, Big Bang Burger was popular. Was there really a need for this much overkill against competitors? If Okumura was to get too greedy and be under suspicion not only would they lose a huge benefactor, it could possibly pull the others down with him. Akechi of course wanted to see Shido fall, but it had to be under several conditions.

One: It must be done at the right moment. At the peak of Shido’s career, nothing more or less was acceptable to him. If you want your enemy to suffer, it has to be a sudden drop.

Two: Akechi doesn’t want to go down with him. It’s unlikely though considering how heavily linked he is in with the crimes, but maybe if the right people talk he can pull it off? He knows Shido is nothing merely more than a stepping stool to all his accomplices. The real one in power was him, right? He had the ability to create mental breakdowns. He was special. Akechi was Shido’s right hand man, right? He brought Shido up from the ashes of being a worthless Diet Member into being a candidate for Prime Minister. That’s why it would only be natural for him, the second in command to be his closest. And only then it would be the most satisfying to crush him.

Three: He cannot let Shido just topple, he has to reveal their true relationship first. To see Shido regret the way he treated his mother and him. He also wants Shido to beg for mercy…

After the phone call ended it was a voice of a child— _no that’s unlikely_. Some girl had been talking about pancakes. He decided to initiate idle conversation to help pass the time.

 

**That had been the mistake that would lead to his downfall.**

  


The next time he meets the boy is during the interview. A random student in the crowd is asked to give his input on the Phantom Thieves. Would it be bad to say he didn’t expect much at first from the student? The boy stares blankly for a second, as if he was thinking about what he had to say.

“Their victims were two criminals who managed to go undetected from the police, right?” His face absolutely reeks of cockiness, “Sometimes I wonder are they doing more than the cops.” Was that an insult to him? Well it doesn’t matter, it’s a joke so he laughs anyways.

Though he can’t blame him for thinking this way. He understood why Madarame was getting away with his crimes, after all he was one of Shido’s assets. If any former students spoke out against him, half of the time they’d be ridiculed by the art world and perhaps say if one were to actually pursue legal action; they become ill with a psychotic breakdown. How tragic.

The guy was a Shujin student right? Kamoshida was despicable, he could sympathize with why the student thought that way. It was undeniable that the phantom thieves were fighting in the name of justice— Goro Akechi wasn’t an idiot. Their methods were what made him hesitant. The way they worded it almost sounded like...Well. If his hypothesis is correct, then it seems he’ll have to be more careful in the Metaverse from now on.

“Also if I may ask you a question in return detective, isn’t it too early to judge a group as cryptic as this? With the only information being they say they fight for justice, aren’t you jumping to conclusions to want them to be tried in court? Are you going to charge them for theft of the heart? I don’t think that’s actually a crime.” The boy’s eyes shine with something for a second and then he quickly adds a joke. “If anybody is to be charged of stealing people's hearts wouldn’t it be the detective prince?”

_**How smug.** _

The host’s laugh at the joke— _was it really that funny?_ —and the laugh track is added despite the fact the other students giggling. But the attention goes back to him in the end.

But he finds it interesting, usually people don’t speak like this around him. Sure it’s just random high schooler, but it’s fun. He responds to the questions, without losing composure. He doesn’t know if the delinquent next to him realizes Akechi can see the stink eye he’s receiving.

“Well, that depends on the methods of course. Vigilante justice isn’t the best outcome and hurts others despite being helpful, if they know so much about their clients wouldn’t it be best to tip off the police?” He gives off a smile, and that’s when he notices something odd. Not the bored blonde girl, the bleach blond boy’s stink eye, or the girls fawning over him.

The kid who asked the question had laughed at him. Not bursting out laughter, but he was holding it in. It was plastered all over his face. Was what Akechi said stupid? Well. Probably. Looking into the Kamoshida incident multiple reports had come from concerned parents, but since the Principle was affiliated with the SUI Director, and by extension Shido he probably asked for them to do nothing as long as the volleyball team kept going to nationals. As far as Akechi could tell, the kid may have been a victim of Kamoshida and went to the police who denied help. That must be why he was laughing. Though of course the possibility that he was a phantom thief was there, but he doubted it. Quite the surprising amount of people support them, it would be reckless (and idiotic) to consider any stranger a phantom thief for defending them.

 

He speaks to the boy after the program ends. Thankfully he’s alone. Looking at him, he’s pretty pale in comparison to his friend’s appearances. An average kid with messy hair and glasses only really stood out when he was sandwiched between his blonde friends. The boy looks up at Akechi.

“What’s up?” He asks. And for once Akechi feels relieved, it’s hard to explain why. Unlike the television hosts who laughed at everything, fellow coworkers who looked down on him, his father who only saw him as a tool to progress his career, and his classmates who sucked up to him. It felt like a genuine reaction.

“I’m glad I found you, I wanted to thank you in person.” He tries to continue the detective prince persona he’s so used to. But when the black haired boy responds he doesn’t even know why he bothered.

“Did I do something? I kinda made fun of the police, and well you too. Are you sure you want to be thanking me?” The boy raises an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t be mad over a joke that’s just immature. And the reason why is because you freely spoke your mind, your insight was quite meaningful to me.”

“Oh my. You’re making me blush.” The guy pretended to be embarrassed by covering his face with his cheeks.

“On second thought, I don’t believe your jokes are meaningful, but the argument you proposed gave me a new view on the situation. No thesis can be made without an antithesis after all.”

“You know, I don’t really get how it helped you see a new view or whatever, but if it helped then I guess you’re welcome.” It seems the black haired boy was the brutally honest type…

“I hope in the near future if we happen to meet again we could engage in such discourse again.” Akechi smiles, “But before we’re to meet again I’d rather know your name.”

“Name’s Akira Kurusu. I hope we get along Mr. Ace Detective.” The boy extends his hand, to which Akechi shakes. Surprisingly this guy has a really strong grip. Nonetheless he seems like an alright guy, and Akechi feels like he’d actually want to talk to him once again. It seems the students from Shujin were actually rather interesting after all. Maybe the interview wasn’t the biggest waste of time.

As he takes his leave Akechi hears Akira and the blond guy talking. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but well. They’re in public, it’s not his fault if he happens to overhear their conversation.

“Holy shit dude was that Akechi?! What the hell did he want?”

“He told me that I’m interesting oh and my jokes aren’t good I guess even though I consider myself to be a comedian.”

“Ugh whatever. Just being near that pretentious d-bag makes me wanna vomit.” The blond’s attitude was vulgar, but Akechi couldn’t help but wonder what he did to this kid. He had no memory of hurting him, or even meeting him. Was he truly hated that much...?

“Yeah Ann’s probably bored since you took forever just to piss, so if she ditches us it’s your fault.”

As the two hurried off to go meet up with the rest of their class Goro couldn’t help but be satisfied at the friend he made. He wasn’t too close with other kids his age, the only one he knew about was really the younger Nijima sister. Though that’s just because Sae spoke fondly of her occasionally.

“ _A friend who enjoys the phantom thieves…_ ” He mused, usually he’d expect to be demonized for speaking against them; maybe that Akira guy was kind of special? Akechi didn’t really know, but he hoped they’d meet again soon. Of course fate would have that be the case, but Akechi didn't know that.

**Author's Note:**

> hey!!! this is my first real fanfic and im super nervous tysm for reading !!! i hope i can steal ur hearts too....!!! and then crush them brutally >:3c  
> more tags will be added soon <3333


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